For all of the college kids out there, is your college/university trying to be more eco-friendly? and it what ways?

Answers

Yes! I go to Washington State University in Pullman, and our school has started a comprehensive recycling/sustainability program. Our student union building is also LEED certified. Most of our dishes/cups/silverware are made from corn, making them completely biodegradable. Colleges are really keeping up with the green trend.

I go to Montana State University, and they are very eco-friendly. They are doing a number of things to stay in close contact with the environment. Huge recycling efforts are under way, and a good public transportation system is used around campus. The thing I really like it here is that it is not just the students who are trying to be more green, the entire community of Bozeman is making an effort, which is great to see.

I currently attend the University of Denver. Our new law building is LEED certified and one of the greenest in the nation. A few things the building uses are windows that allow less light in, motion sensor lights, water free urinals and low flow sinks and toilets.

DU also offsets 31% of energy use through funding wind farms.

There is a new bike renting program (B-cycle) which allows you to check out bikes in multiple locations on campus and you can return them throughout additional bike locations all over downtown Denver.

Yes. Western Oregon University has a group called the green team that works around the campus to clean, recycle, and educate students on environmentally friendly practices. They are also building a new dorm facility. The building is called Ackerman Hall and is LEED certified.

New York University is certainly trying to be more eco-friendly. However, it can be very difficult when you are located in Manhattan. Everything is shipped here, and ConEd relies heavily on dirty energy sources. But the University has a really great recycling program, has efforts to conserve energy (keeping some hallway lights off, for example), hosts a variety of environmental student organizations, uses biodegradable dining hall items (utensils and so on), and has been working on ways to reduce food waste.

I just graduated from the University of Kansas, where the green effort is represented by environmental student groups, biodiesel buses, and campus-wide recycling bins. I have a feeling there are more initiatives in the works by students and faculty in the science and engineering departments, but these are things I’ve seen firsthand. Student groups have been effective at planting a community garden for use by any student or faculty member, creating a butterfly garden for the annual swarm of butterflies that flock to Lawrence, and protecting the local wetlands from the construction of a highway.